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Christina Carmona

Born and raised in San Antonio, Christina Carmona has seen how Latinos here often don’t get access to the care they need, or they face cultural myths, financial barriers or a lack of knowledge of disease prevention.

Carmona used this experience to fuel her drive to improve Latino health.

Wanting to make a positive change in her community and serve as a role model for her children, Carmona earneda bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas San Antonio and is currently pursuing a master’s in public health degree at The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health in San Antonio.

Carmona wanted to do more, so she decided to apply to the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which offers a five-day summer institute and internships to encourage master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career. She wanted to hear from other minority researchers on the career possibilities in Latino health disparities research and see if a doctoral degree was truly right for her.

She said Éxito! was a tremendous help.

“After attending Éxito! I now feel I have a better grasp on the hurdles I will have to overcome to successfully complete a doctorate program. I definitely was naive before, but the Éxito! staff made sure I left with the knowledge, tools, and resources required to apply and complete my education,” Carmona said. “Being part of Éxito! has helped me realize that I can be successful in a doctorate program no matter my skill set, as long as I have the dedication to finish what I have started and I utilize the resources around me.”